Plans to be announced for MCHS dormitory

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Officials are set to unveil a proposal for a new public dormitory to serve the area’s “at-risk” students, planned to be built behind Mahoning County High School.

Mahoning County Juvenile Court Judge Theresa Dellick and other county, city and state officials plan to announce the project at 10 a.m. today at Rising Star Baptist Church, 2943 Wardle Ave.

The dormitory builds upon the model established by Mahoning County High School, which has graduated more than 300 students who had been expelled from other schools since opening in 2008, according to a release from the county Juvenile Court.

“The Mahoning Valley Children’s Task Force is proposing an expansion of MCHS to include a college prep dormitory facility option for children in grades seven through 12,” the release states. “MCHS operates on a restorative justice model, built upon recognition of the trauma and stress exposure of the children it serves.

“The next step in providing educational access to the most vulnerable at-risk students is a dormitory option that will ensure a stable lifestyle and the safety of trauma-informed, normalized, mentor and peer structures.”

Judge Dellick said the proposal is still being shaped, but officials are currently considering seeking $12 million from public and private sources to build a 200-bed facility, 100 beds in each gender-separated building.

She said the model mimics Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, which officials recently toured.

Parents of students in grades seven through 12 could opt to have them live at the dorm – potentially paid through state assistance – that would provide meals and a safe environment in which they can focus on their studies.

She said education is the key to eliminating poverty.

“What we’re looking to do is make sure we create equity so every student has that same equitable chance at achieving that education and climbing out of poverty,” she said. “If we can get students out of poverty, we’ve changed their trajectory in life for the better, and that’s all this is about. Education is the ladder.”

At least two school officials expressed trepidation about the project, however.

Brenda Kimble, Youngstown school board president, said though she believes some students could be well-served by the proposed facility, she’s leery it could become “part of the penal system,” and be offered as a casual alternative to juvenile incarceration.

Board member Dario Hunter added the facility’s neighbors aren’t involved in public discussions about the project. “You should have had the community on-board to begin with. ... The community would have told you where the needs lie,” he said.